PDA to raze Pease buildings

Monday

Jul 30, 2007 at 7:45 AM

PORTSMOUTH — “It’s a boiling pot over here.” That’s how Pease Development Authority Executive Director Dick Green described the flurry of activity at Pease International Tradeport that began recently with the demolition of the old Air Force Base school at 67 New Hampshire Ave.

Shir Haberman

PORTSMOUTH — “It’s a boiling pot over here.” That’s how Pease Development Authority Executive Director Dick Green described the flurry of activity at Pease International Tradeport that began recently with the demolition of the old Air Force Base school at 67 New Hampshire Ave.

A total of eight old base buildings are scheduled to come down to make way for structures that will house a variety of new tenants. While Green would not say who was coming to any of the sites, he indicated the PDA is working with a number of organizations to finalize lease agreements.

The demolition of the old school building started about a week behind a schedule that was released late last month. Green said a contract for development of that site will be presented to the PDA board at its next meeting, set for Aug. 16.

“I suspect one company will be involved,” Green said. “We’re close to getting all the approvals we need.”

Next up for demolition will be the small building at 83 New Hampshire Ave., between the old school and Seacoast Media Group’s new headquarters. In August, the old base gym and tennis courts at 7 Manchester St. are scheduled to be torn down, and in September, the old Jones School at 255 Corporate Drive and a building at 21 Hampton St. are expected to meet the wrecking ball.Later this year, buildings at 22 Hampton St., 56 Durham St., and 358 Corporate Drive, next to the current PDA headquarters, are set to be demolished.

The cost of demolishing these eight structures has been placed at approximately $1 million.“This project will free up 17 acres of land for redevelopment,” Green told reporters at a June news conference announcing the demolition projects. “At this point, 80 percent of the property on the tradeport is developed where old buildings have been removed.”

That is not to say the tradeport is anywhere near filled to capacity. Aside from the locations cited above, the tradeport’s list of available properties also includes 44 Durham St. and 65 Aviation Drive.

There are also a number of parcels of land available either adjacent to the airport runway or with frontage on the Spaulding Turnpike. There is space offered by developers in a number of established multi-tenant buildings and structures that were built for tenants that have left the tradeport.

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